In that instant, Luo Sheng had little reaction, but the soldiers following behind nearly lost control of their expressions.

What minced pork noodles? Had they heard wrong?

They absolutely couldn’t pick their ears in front of enemy forces, but the renowned Prince Kaiyang seemed somewhat different from what they’d imagined…

As for the hundred or so personal guards Wei Han had brought, they were already gazing speechlessly at the sky.

They understood everything perfectly well, which was precisely why they felt so humiliated!

Master, if you want to eat minced pork noodles, couldn’t you find an opportunity to say so quietly? Saying it out loud like this in public—do we personal guards not need face?

Luo Sheng smiled faintly: “If Your Highness eats minced pork noodles, will you stop attacking us?”

She spoke words that sounded like jest, yet her slender, delicate hands gripped the reins tightly.

The rough rope had long since worn calluses into her palms, no longer soft as before.

She’d thought that using so much time to adapt and adjust, when they met again with changed positions she could remain unruffled, yet discovered she could not.

Especially hearing him seriously say he wanted to eat minced pork noodles in that moment—she seemed to see the persimmon tree in the tavern’s courtyard, to smell the fragrance of wine and meat wafting from the kitchen.

That was a plain, simple life she dared not hope for.

And thus, the person who had softened her heart during that period of life became a special existence.

Wei Han gazed deeply at the young woman he hadn’t seen in months.

She sat upright on horseback in black armor, a bright red cloak billowing behind her in the wind, so dazzling one couldn’t look away.

So what he missed even more than the tavern’s delicacies was her.

The distance in the young woman’s eyes felt like a mischievous bee stinging his heart. Yet his expression revealed nothing as he smiled at her: “I’ve only come to eat. Can Miss Luo bring me into the city?”

Luo Sheng was silent for a moment, her gaze sweeping over those personal guards: “What about them?”

The hundred or so personal guards uniformly lowered their eyes.

They could be treated as nonexistent.

Had they known their master would be this embarrassing, they wouldn’t have wanted to come along at all.

Wei Han didn’t hesitate in the slightest: “They can remain outside the city.”

The personal guards: ?

Luo Sheng relaxed her brow: “Then Your Highness, please come with me.”

Wei Han shook the reins and his white horse raised its hooves and ran over, affectionately taking a bite of the date-red horse Luo Sheng rode.

Luo Sheng fell silent.

Prince Kaiyang’s white horse seemed quite fond of her date-red horse.

The two spurred their horses into the city, leaving a thousand soldiers and a hundred personal guards staring at each other.

The one leading the soldiers was none other than Zhu Wu.

Zhu Wu pondered briefly, then cupped his fists toward an old acquaintance among the personal guards: “Brother Shi, I’ll lead the soldiers back into the city for a meal first.”

“Hey—” Shi Yan hadn’t even finished speaking when everyone had already run off, leaving only a cloud of dust and the city gates closing again.

Shi Yan turned around and gave his dumbstruck brothers an awkward smile: “Master’s big white horse and Miss Luo’s date-red horse have known each other for a long time…”

That was all he could explain on his master’s behalf.

The personal guards’ lips twitched.

This explanation was worse than none—it made their master seem less competent than the big white horse.

“So we just wait here?”

Shi Yan rolled his eyes irritably: “Otherwise, did you expect them to feed us too?”

It was already good enough that their master was allowed inside. What were these foolish youngsters thinking?

Thinking of their master being able to eat steaming hot minced pork noodles, Shi Yan sighed inwardly.

He didn’t have that good fortune—he was still atoning for his mistakes through merit. He should be thanking heaven and earth that his master hadn’t left him in the capital scrubbing chamber pots.

Grand Commander Luo waited inside, somewhat worried.

Sheng’er only took a thousand men—had she taken too few?

Soon someone came to report: “Great General, Prince Kaiyang has entered the city with Miss.”

“They didn’t fight?”

“No fighting. Prince Kaiyang left the personal guards he brought outside the city and came in alone following Miss.”

Grand Commander Luo, upon hearing this, fell into contemplation.

What did Prince Kaiyang mean by this?

Wait, could it be—

Grand Commander Luo’s eyes lit up. Suppressing his elation, he asked the messenger sternly: “And after entering the city?”

“Miss is bringing Prince Kaiyang toward the prefectural office.”

“Understood. You may withdraw.”

Dismissing the messenger, Grand Commander Luo sprang to his feet and paced to the window, gazing at the vigorously blooming gardenias while waiting contentedly.

Looking at this situation, things didn’t seem as bad as he’d thought. Prince Kaiyang still had feelings for Sheng’er.

Of course, when he met Prince Kaiyang shortly, he would assess this properly.

Luo Sheng stopped at a teahouse and dismounted.

“Your Highness, given our current awkward positions, we should talk here first.”

Wei Han felt disappointed inwardly but obediently agreed.

Compared to the capital, Heyang City’s teahouse appeared rather crude, and with constant warfare, the tea naturally couldn’t be very good.

“I apologize for the poor conditions, Your Highness.” Luo Sheng poured a cup of tea and passed it over.

“I don’t mind.” Wei Han drank the bitter tea with an aggrieved expression.

Luo Sheng gripped the coarse ceramic teacup and simply spoke plainly: “Your Highness, please state your intentions directly. I don’t want to keep guessing.”

According to intelligence they’d gathered, Prince Kaiyang had resolved the crisis of forces besieging the capital, killed the National Preceptor with one stroke, then received imperial orders to suppress rebel forces.

She hadn’t expected him to come here first.

If he’d led thousands upon thousands of troops here, she wouldn’t have asked a single question. Yet he hadn’t even worn battle armor, only bringing a hundred personal guards to tell her he wanted to eat minced pork noodles.

The Prince Kaiyang she knew wouldn’t stoop so low as to exploit their past warmth for advantage.

Moreover, given his military strength, there was no need for such tactics.

So there was no need to guess wildly—better to ask directly.

Wei Han gazed at the young woman opposite him and said earnestly: “I’ve come to bring you back.”

“Back?” Luo Sheng raised her eyebrows.

“Yes. I don’t want Youjian Tavern’s doors locked tight. I don’t want you absent from there.”

Luo Sheng suppressed the turmoil in her heart and said calmly: “Your Highness may have forgotten my identity. I am now the daughter of a rebel minister.”

Over ten years ago, she was Princess Qingyang, daughter of a rebel minister.

Today, she was Miss Luo, and once again the daughter of a rebel minister.

She and the Wei Dynasty were incompatible.

“I killed the National Preceptor,” Wei Han said.

“I heard.”

“His Majesty was frightened and needs quiet rest.”

Luo Sheng waited quietly for him to continue.

“I also left ten thousand Zhaoyang Army troops in the capital.” Wei Han looked at the one in his heart and said gently: “If I say Miss Luo is not the daughter of a rebel minister, then she is not.”

Luo Sheng remained very quiet, though inwardly she was not.

The high walls built in her heart seemed to tremble slightly in that moment.

But it still wouldn’t do.

“His Majesty will eventually recover.”

“He can convalesce indefinitely. From among the imperial clan, a suitable Crown Prince will be selected.”

Luo Sheng shook her head, her smile concealing bitterness: “If I don’t agree with Your Highness, what do you plan to do?”

Wei Han fell silent.

Even this wouldn’t work?

“Does Miss Luo dislike the capital?” he asked.

Luo Sheng answered candidly: “I don’t dislike it either.”

“Then… does Miss Luo dislike me?”

Meeting those eyes pure as spring water, Luo Sheng was silent for a moment before saying softly: “I don’t dislike you either.”

Wei Han suppressed his thundering heartbeat and asked again: “Then what would it take for Miss Luo to return to the capital with me?”

This time, the young woman opposite fell silent for even longer.

So long that Wei Han thought he wouldn’t receive an answer, when she said: “Unless the realm no longer bears the surname Wei.”